Harvest Festival Series ~ Mt Kinabalu as a Resting Place

The early Kadazan/Dusun also used to believe that when a person dies, the soul will go up to Mount Kinabalu to rest. It is therefore advisable that whenever one wants to climb the mountain, an offering must be made to the ‘pogigion’ or those dwellers around Kinabalu or something bad will befall on you.

When I first climb the mountain in 1976, my mother told me not to say anything about going up there because the spirit would come to know of my intention and something terrible might happen.

“When you are climbing,” she said, “You must walk silently. Do not pluck anything or those dwellers will follow you home and make you sick”.

Sources: KDCA
Photo courtesy: flickr.toonmanimage.com